
Minneapolis' North Side is not getting its fair share of transit amenities, despite having a heavily transit-dependent population, a group of residents told Metropolitan Council representatives on Saturday.
At a packed meeting in the offices of Neighborhoods Organizing for Change (NOC), bus riders said north Minneapolis lacks adequate shelters -- particularly heated ones -- and increased fares have strained already tight budgets.
"Riders notice the drastic difference between service and amenities in other parts of the city like Uptown and the Southside," said NOC's transit organizer Michael McDowell, who has been surveying transit riders (see video below). "And how the service is significantly better and they have more amenities at their stops than [in] north."
Panelists Saturday also demanded that the proposed Southwest light rail line, which will touch the southern tip of north Minneapolis, provide significant benefits for the area.
They found an ally in Metropolitan Council Member Gary Cunningham, who called for a new advisory committee comprised of people of color that would make recommendations to the council. He noted that the buses with the largest ridership -- such as routes 5, 9 and 19 -- are dominated by minority riders.
"If in fact we're the backbone of the system, then we should get access to these shelters, we should get access – and I mean now, not tomorrow, not next week," Cunningham said, adding that "there is no way that people of color have a voice."
Regarding Southwest light rail, Cunningham said north Minneapolis should obtain agreements in writing about what North Side improvements will follow construction of the line. He warned that promises regarding Franklin Avenue predating the Hiawatha Line were never honored.
"Otherwise, we're going to end up with what we've been getting," said Cunningham, who is married to Mayor Betsy Hodges. "And what we've been getting is cold bus shelters."